A while ago I wrote one of my usual tirades and this time directed it against the publishing world. Really sort of a "bites the hand that feeds me" type thing since I hope to someday get my work published. A friend of mine reassured me that I shouldn't worry since they are so full of themselves they wouldn't notice anyway. I hope he's right.
Anyway, in one of the comments left about that article a gentleman extolled the virtues of self-publishing, saying that it was the future and it allowed authors to by pass the publishers and speak directly to the public. Now while it's true that self-publishing allows people the chance to put their work on the market without having to go through the process of agents and publishers, is it really the future of publishing?
The answer as far as I can see is the usual, unequivocal, maybe. I think the best way for me to talk about this is to work by example. So since I'm hooked up with one of the self publishing groups, Lulu.com, I'll describe my experiences there and compare it as best as I can to what I know about the official publishing world. I know a couple of people who are published by major houses so I have a little bit of second hand knowledge, and having tried to publish things at various stages in my life, I have some personal experience as well.
The world of self-publishing can be divided into two parts: the vanity presses and the publish on demand presses. Since Lulu.com falls into the second of the two and that's whom I am affiliated with I have the most familiarity with how that system operates. From what I understand though a vanity publisher is someone you send a manuscript to, pay them a set fee, and they bind and print X number of books for you to try and distribute.
You make the investment in your work and take the chance that you are going to sell it. Just like the band that independently produces its own CD you are responsible for all the marketing, selling and distribution. You work out all your deals, and keep every penny that every copy of the book makes.
Publish on demand, at least the way Lulu.com operates, works quite differently. Everything is done online and digitally. (They do more than just books but the rest isn't relevant to what I'm talking about) Once you've created an account, you are free to start uploading your completed product to the site. They give you space to create a store front and you sell your material from there using PayPal or similar online transaction methods.
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Article comments
1 - Barry Stoller
Sad but true, the empowering DIY aspects of the internet now mean there is more written material for free than ever. People do not need to spend a cent for any reading material except the corporate big names whose ranks are restricting every day. Also, if you're willing to write (publish) for free, chances are no one will ever consider paying you for it - especially if there's lots of typos, no offense.